Early Soviet Space Capsules

Vostok Spacecraft

In 1961, Yuri Gagarin flew into space aboard Vostok 1. Gagarin became the first person to orbit the Earth.

Five more Vostok missions were launched. Valentina Tereshkova, launched aboard Vostok 6 in 1963, became the first woman to fly in space.

Vostok Missions

Name

LaunchDate

Orbits

Crew

Mission

Vostok 1

12 APR 1961

1

Yuri Gagarin

First human in orbit.

Vostok 2

6 AUG 1961

17

Gherman Titov

Orbital flight

Vostok 3

11 AUG 1962

64

Andriyan Nikolayev

Orbital flight

Vostok 4

12 AUG 1962

48

Pavel Popovich

Orbital flight

Vostok 5

14 JUN 1963

82

Valery Bykovsky

Orbital flight

Vostok 6

16 JUN 1963

48

Valentina Tereshkova

First woman in space.

Voskhod Spacecraft

Voskhod 1, launched in 1964, included the first three-person crew. Voskhod 2, launched the following year, included the first spacewalk. Connected to the spacecraft with a tether, Alexey Leonov spent around ten minutes drifting in space.

Vostok Missions

Name

LaunchDate

Orbits

Crew

Mission

Voskhod 1

12 OCT 1964

16

Vladimir KomarovBoris YegorovKonstantin Feoktistov

Orbital flight.

Voskhod 2

18 MAR 1965

17

Pavel BelyayevAlexey Leonov

First spacewalk.

Soviet SK-1 Space Suit

Yuri Gagarin's SK-1 Training Space Suit

Spacesuit worn by Yuri Gagarin while training for his spaceflight. This suit is on display at the National Air and Space Museum. (Photos: Richard Kruse, 2009)

Soviet Berkut Space Suit

Aleksei Leonov's Berkut Training Space Suit

Spacesuit worn by Aleksei Leonov while training for his spacewalk. Exhibit also includes part of an airlock used in training. This suit is on display at the National Air and Space Museum. (Photos: Richard Kruse, 2009)